10-28: Money talks; Transfers to 2-Year Colleges Plunge; White House science office takes credit for 'ending' pandemic

✅The Top Election Spenders in OC’s Biggest Cities and Who They’re Backing 

Here’s a simple look at the biggest spenders in Anaheim, Santa Ana and Irvine and who they’re backing or opposing. 

—Voice of OC 

     As voters pick their new representatives in OC’s largest cities, hundreds of thousands of dollars are being spent to help particular candidates win or lose – with the largest spending coming from Disney, police unions and a host of developers. 

     With much of the campaign money now disclosed in hundreds of public reports, here’s a simple look at the biggest spenders in Anaheim, Santa Ana and Irvine this election and who they’re backing or opposing. 

. . . 

Anaheim 

     In Anaheim, Walt Disney Corp. continues to reign supreme once again in election spending in the city, pumping $1.5 million into a committee supporting candidates Jose Diaz, Steve Faessel and Avelino Valencia…. 

Santa Ana 

     Santa Ana’s police union is again the dominant spender in city elections this year, though at a far-reduced spending level than previous years following a successful – and expensive – recall campaign the union funded this spring…. 

Irvine 

     Developers Five Point Communities and The Irvine Co. continue to be the dominant spenders in Irvine elections, pumping over $400,000 dollars into groups supporting candidates Mike Carroll, Christina Shea and John Park, and opposing Larry Agran and Tammy Kim. 

     The money can take twists and turns on its way into the election. 

     Voters across the city have been receiving mailers from a PAC called the Greater Irvine Education Guide – the single biggest spender on ads in the election. That PAC is, in turn, funded by at least $78,000 from groups that themselves are largely funded by Five Point and The Irvine Co, according to public campaign finance records. 

     And in some cases, the money is coming from Five Point’s lobbying firm, Starpointe Ventures, which is run by lobbyist Patrick Strader and his family…. 

✅House Democrats Charge Ed Dept. Concealed Actions 

Top House Democrats on Tuesday released emails that seemed to contradict the Education Department’s public denials that it stopped the development of a tool on its website to make it easier for students who had been defrauded by for-profit colleges to apply to have their federal debt canceled. 

—Inside Higher Ed 

✅Political Divide Over Colleges' Fall Reopenings 

The American public is divided over just about everything -- so why wouldn't it be divided over whether colleges and universities should have brought students back to their physical campuses this fall? 

—Inside Higher Ed 

     A survey released by the Pew Research Center this week finds Americans split down the middle on the question of whether colleges that are providing "in-person instruction did/did not make the right decision bringing students back to campus this fall." 

     Fifty percent of those surveyed by Pew said colleges made the right call -- while 48 percent said they did not. But as will probably surprise no one, the proportions look very different by political party. Almost three-quarters of Republicans (74 percent) said that colleges and universities that opened their campuses for in-person instruction made the right decision, while more than two-thirds of Democrats (68 percent) said the institutions were wrong to open. 

✅Cal State Enrollment Reached All-Time High 

—Inside Higher Ed 

     A record number of students are enrolled in the California State University system’s 23 campuses during the fall 2020 semester, system officials announced in a press release Monday.

     The system enrolled 485,549 students this fall, an all-time high, and surpassed its previous enrollment record of 484,297 during the fall 2017 semester, the release said. Fall 2020 enrollment is up 3,620 students from fall 2019, when the system enrolled 481,929 students, the release said. 

     Part of the reason for the system’s record enrollment this semester is an all-time high retention rate among first-year students who started at Cal State campuses during 2019, the release said. About 85 percent of these students returned to campus for the fall 2020 semester, according to system officials…. 

✅In Another Blow to Student Equity, Transfers to 2-Year Colleges Plunge 

—CHE 

✅Southern California counties see surge in new coronavirus cases -- In four Southern California counties — Imperial, San Bernardino, Riverside and Los Angeles — the average numbers of new daily infections per 100,000 residents over the past week rank among the top five statewide, according to The Times’ coronavirus tracker. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ 

✅White House science office takes credit for 'ending' pandemic as infections mount -- The White House’s science policy office on Tuesday ranked “ending the Covid-19 pandemic” atop the list of President Donald Trump’s top first-term accomplishments, even as the country registers record amounts of infections and hospitals fill up again. Brianna Ehley Politico -- 10/28/20

✅Southern California Edison lines may have sparked massive Silverado fire in Irvine -- Southern California Edison said it is investigating whether its electrical equipment may have caused the Silverado fire, which has burned more than 7,200 acres in Irvine and caused more than 60,000 to flee their homes. Andrew J. Campa, Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/27/20

✅Study finds 12% of Orange County residents had coronavirus by summer

—OC Reg

✅Miles Taylor revealed as ‘Anonymous’ writer of insider warnings about Trump 

The New York Times called Taylor a Trump ‘senior official.’ Was that accurate? 

—WashPo